The Charcoal Devil by Mikkel Bækgaard

The Charcoal Devil by Mikkel Bækgaard

The charcoal devil takes everything from you. It is true, because the neighbour says so. And when you’re seven years old, stuff like that seems very real – especially when your little brother is ill, you’re lonely, afraid and has recently moved into a rural house next to a large forest.

Keywords: Childish horror – loneliness – co-creation

The house is situated just next to the big dark forest. It is the Charcoal Devil’s house and seven year old Agnete and her parents has just moved in to it. Little Brother too, who coughs way too much. This is a place for adventure, at least if you ask Mum and Dad.

But for Agnete it’s no adventure. Out here it seems way too scary, too alien for her, too much something the grownups don’t understand. And when the mysterious neighbour begins to tell stories about The Charcoal Devil, things get worse. He takes everything from you, he says – the same way he took everything from the neighbour.

The Charcoal Devil is a psychological horror story told from a childs point of view. Agnete is the main character who is played by all four players in collaboration. The players also play all the supporting characters, and together they explore and build on to the scary world Agnete lives in. In that way the game is intended for players who like to add on to and co-create within the framework the scenario brings. The game is at the same time both very open and very tight – and don’t worry about keeping focus as a player, the game master’s main task is to keep the game focused on what’s important and what’s not.
Whether the ending is happy or fatal is not defined beforehand. That’s up to the players to decide during play.

About the author:
Mikkel Bækgaard is a Fastaval scenario writing veteran who has written games for the convention since 1997. This year he brings a dark story inspired by the very same forest and house he quite recently has moved in to. A place his own seven year old daughter doesn’t appreciate as much as he does.

About the scenario:
Number of players: 4 players and 1 GM
Play time: 4-5 hours
Age limit: 15+
Language of player materials: Danish and English
Language of GM materials: Danish
Amount of reading: 3 pages